[don_w]

Yes, I keep a log of all the runs. I put the info into a spreadsheet (600+ runs so far). And a lot of those runs (over 300 of them) are on video as well.

And I haven't gone any farther on the fuel pump issue yet.

[don_w]

1/8-Mile Drags, Barona, March 17-18, 2007

This weekend was the next event for the 2007 Summit Series at Barona Dragstrip. Race #3 was on Saturday, and Race #4 was on Sunday. I definitely wanted to do better than the last time. I did make it to the 2nd round both days, but mostly because of luck, not skill.

One area I needed to improve was my reaction times. So, I decided to change the way I staged the car. Instead of going in as shallow as I could, I rolled in a couple extra inches. While this will hurt ETs, it improves RTs. And it seems to have helped quite a bit. For the weekend, about half of my green light RTs were under 0.050 (which is my target), with my best being a 0.002. And overall, about 70% of them were 0.093 or better. Plus I had a couple of "near miss" red lights too (a -0.001 and a -0.004). Of course, since I was purposely working the tree, I cut a few other redlights. But I guess that's the price I have to pay to get better.

The weather on Saturday was pretty warm. The high temp was about 91 degrees, and for all but the first two runs of the day, the temp was between 80 and 90 all day. The density altitude was between 3,400 and 4,100 for all those runs.

Because of the Summit Series, I did all the driving on Saturday. Donna was there to help with the car, take videos and provide moral support, but she did not drive. She did however drive on Sunday.

Here are the videos from Saturday, March 17 at Barona. The vids marked with the asterisks (**) are my favorites.

Video #1, Time 10:00 am, DA = 2,575 ft:
I started of with a decent (but not great) reaction time… a 0.093. My opponent was a 5-sec dragster, so this was a lopsided race. I ran a 7.301 @ 94.635, 1.657 60-foot time to his 5.603 @ 120.689, 1.291.

**Video #2, Time 10:18 am, DA = 3,042 ft:
Now this one was more like it. I was up against one of the best drivers in San Diego. He wins a lot of bracket races (and money) with his 2005 GTO. As usual, he cut a very good 0.030 light, but I actually beat him off the line with a 0.010 light of my own. I ran 7.285 @ 95.480, 1.668 to his 8.449 @ 95.994, 1.987.

Video #3, Time 10:48 am, DA = 3,411 ft:
This run started off with another good light, 0.043. Of course, the low 6-sec Vega in the other lane easily made up the 8/100’s I had on the tree, and drove around me. My 7.311 @ 95.288, 1.670 was no match for his 6.275 @ 108.467, 1.343.

**Video #4, Time 11:12 am, DA = 3,523 ft:
On this run, I raced another 5-second car… a Ford Pinto with a 557cid motor in it. This car is a beast… just watch the left front tire when he launches. And the driver (Rick) is one of the best out there (and is also now part owner of this track). Again, I was focused on the tree and cut my third straight good light. My 0.026 was 3 hundredths better than his 0.057, but that margin disappeared in the first 60 feet. After a little tire spin on the launch, my Mustang went 7.329 @ 95.572, 1.696 to the Pinto’s 5.700 @ 122.516, 1.288. Not even close at the finish line. haha

Video #5, Time 11:31 am, DA = 3,688 ft:
This run is an example of a bizarre occurrence that is happening every so often… and I’m not even sure why. When I launch the car, it just leaves like a pig. It seems like there is no power for about the first 8 or 10 feet, and then all of a sudden it comes on. My only theory is that it’s my torque converter acting up. I know it has some issues with lockup in 4th gear, and maybe it messes up now and then at the launch, too. Anyway, it did it on this run, which hurt the numbers across the board. All it could muster was a 7.398 @ 94.319, 1.720 to the roadster’s 5.659 @ 121.522, 1.298. I was getting tired of lining up against 5-sec cars by now. Haha.

Video #6, Time 11:52 am, DA = 3,824 ft:
This was a “Run for the Money” pass. It cost $10 to enter and you get one run against a dial-in of your choice. The car closest to its dial, without going under or going red, gets half the pot. My first four runs were between 7.28 and 7.32, so I decided to dial in at 7.30. But, I screwed up at the tree. It was a solo run, and when I rolled in, I lit both bulbs. Usually, I like to take a couple seconds after the pre-stage bulb to concentrate, but the tree came down immediately and I didn’t powerbrake it as well as I should have making for a bad launch; and I was late. What a waste of 10 dollars… all I could run was a paltry 7.418 @ 92.998, 1.680.

**Video #7, Time 12:44 pm, DA = 4,075 ft:
Now it was time for Round #1 of the Summit Series. Based on my previous two runs, and the fact that the temp was at its highest of the day, I decided to play it safe and dial in at 7.40. I was up against a Corvette who was dialed in at 5.88, so I was getting a second and a half head start. I cut yet another excellent light (0.018), and the Vette went red (-0.022). However, I didn’t notice his red light at all. All I could see in my mirror was him screaming up from behind me, and I didn’t want to hit the brakes too soon, and have him pass me at the stripe. I stayed in it until the right at the end and then hit the brakes. Amazingly, the car ran its best pass of the day (and my best of the weekend)… even while hitting the brakes, and with 90-degree air and a DA over 4,000 feet. Go figure. Maybe the cloud cover that rolled in a couple minutes earlier played a part, but who knows. It ran 7.204 @ 92.516, 1.598. Even though I broke out by a bunch, his red light saved me. I got totally lucky on this run. The Vette ran 5.908 @ 117.286, 1.333.

**Video #8, Time 1:37 pm, DA = 3,407 ft:
My next run was Round #2 of the Summit Series. The temp had dropped quite a bit, so I decided to go back to some of my earlier runs as a benchmark. Donna suggested I dial in at 7.26, but I opted for 7.29. In bracket racing, you really want to dial in a number you’re pretty sure you can run, and then use the brakes to adjust at the end. It’s easier to slow it down than to speed it up. The Chevelle in the other lane was dialed in at 7.64, so he was leaving first. We had almost identical RTs (my 0.080 to his 0.079), so the finish line would be the key. Once I got out in front, I hit the brakes at the end… but not enough. I ended up running a 7.286, breaking out by a mere 0.004 sec. Four thousandths of a second is about 6 inches. D’Oh!! If I had listened to Donna and dialed in at 7.26, I would have been moving on to Round #3. Instead, I was done. Here are the numbers: 7.286 @ 89.046, 1.651 to his 7.670 @ 87.392, 1.635.

Video #9, Time 2:00 pm, DA = 3,454 ft:
I had time for a couple practice runs before the afternoon Gambler bracket race started. And on this one, I was paired up with the Vega I ran earlier. Once again, I started with a pretty good light (0.037), and ended up running a 7.261 @ 95.486, 1.650. The Vega went 6.510 @ 104.700, 1.381.

**Video #10, Time 2:35 pm, DA = 3,824 ft:
Here is the first run I made against Ed this day. I was a little too aggressive on the tree, going red by 0.025 sec, and Ed took a little nap… whoops. I ran 7.284 @ 97.151, 1.653 to Ed’s 7.818 @ 88.827, 1.787. The 97.151mph trap speed was the highest my car ran all weekend.

Video #11, Time 2:53 pm, DA = 3,890 ft:
OK, I decided to pay the $20 and enter the Gambler bracket race. The previous three runs had been a 7.28, 7.26 and 7.28, so I thought it was being consistent enough to run the bracket. I dialed in at 7.28 and was paired up against a Camaro dialed in at 6.41. My RT was decent (0.070, which was almost 9/100 better than his 0.157), but just like on run #5 the car fell flat on its face on the launch. All I could muster was a 7.423 @ 94.595, 1.745 to the Camaro’s 6.443 @ 107.433, 1.410. The margin of victory for him was 0.023. So, the big advantage I had on the tree was wasted because the car dogged on me.

Video #12, Time 3:10 pm, DA = 3,909 ft:
The rest of my runs would now just be for practice. On this one I had a solo pass, running 7.312 @ 95.076, 1.689. I was early on the tree, turning on the red bulb by 0.063.

Video #13, Time 3:38 pm, DA = 3,768 ft:
My next run was against a Dodge Coronet, and my car went back to being a pig again. I wish I knew for sure what is causing this behavior. The 60-foot was way off again (1.731) and all it would run was 7.412 @ 94.500. The Dodge ran 7.043 @ 98.548, 1.590.

Video #14, Time 3:41 pm, DA = 3,756 ft:
I hotlapped it back to the staging lanes in time to line up against Ed. This time Ed was trigger happy and left early (-0.083), and I got caught napping (0.162). I ran 7.335 @ 94.669, 1.671 to Ed’s 7.855 @ 89.600, 1.845.

**Video #15, Time 3:55 pm, DA = 3,740 ft:
Ed and I went at it again, but this time we both nailed the Christmas tree. Ed had an outstanding 0.013 light, and I was right behind him with a 0.023. At the end, the timeslips read 7.369 @ 94.011, 1.683 vs 7.832 @ 89.283, 1.797.

Video #16, Time 4:00 pm, DA = 3,757 ft:
We decided to hotlap it one final time for the day. Ed and I both had nearly equal reaction times (my 0.087 to his 0.085). I ran 7.314 @ 94.633, 1.661 to Ed’s 8.114 @ 87.837, 1.950.


[The videos for Sunday will come later today or tomorrow]

[zmanm3]

If you keep this up you may get good enough to give ESPN Dave a run for his money.

[don_w]

Originally Posted by zmanm3

If you keep this up you may get good enough to give ESPN Dave a run for his money.

He'd have to give me about 20 car lengths. haha

[zmanm3]

Originally Posted by don_w

He'd have to give me about 20 car lengths. haha

Right now he would, but if you keep practicing it may only be 10.

[don_w]

1/8-Mile Drags, Barona, March 17-18, 2007

Sunday, March 18 was day two of the weekend 2007 Summit Series at Barona Dragstrip. We were lucky that the weather was cooler on Sunday than it had been on Saturday. The high temp was 74 degrees (compared to 91 on Saturday), and the density altitude ranged from 2,200 and 3,100 feet.

I continued my experimentation with staging deeper to improve my reaction times. However, I think the car was reacting quicker due to the better air and I had more redlights than I’ve ever had at the track. During test and tune runs they are irrelevant, but in competition, they can hurt. Video #8 is a prime example of a good run gone bad because of the red bulb.

As is our normal routine, Donna and I shared seat time today. Even with me running in the Summit Series, we still got 19 runs in, with Donna getting 10 of them.

Here are the videos from Sunday, March 18 at Barona. The vids marked with the asterisks (**) are my favorites.

Video #1, Time 10:04 am, DA = 2,224 ft:
My first run out of the box was against a Fox-body Mustang. Although I went red on this run, I missed a perfect RT by only one one-thousandth of a second (-0.001). The car “hiccupped” on the top end, but still ran a 7.280 @ 94,624, 1.669 60-foot. The Fox was way behind at 10.060 @ 70.982, 2.250.

**Video #2, Time 10:20 am, DA = 2,293 ft:
This was Donna’s first run of the weekend, and she came out swinging for sure. She ripped off the best run of the weekend (by far), and neither one of us ever got close to this run the rest of the day. She cut a very nice 0.051 light (her best of the day), and laid down a killer 7.110 @ 96.954, 1.584. The ET and 60-foot times were the best of the weekend, and the trap speed was 2nd best (behind the 97.15 I had on Saturday). The 7.110 was also her 2nd best ET ever (and the car’s 6th best overall). The quick 65 Chevy in the right lane went 6.754 @ 101.542, 1.456.

Video #3, Time 10:39 am, DA = 2,458 ft:
My next run was against another Fox-body Mustang. Even though I had another good RT (0.036), the car decided it was time to launch like a pig again, which showed in the horrible 1.832 60’ time. This hesitation on the launch is unpredictable and quite annoying. All it would run was a 7.449 @ 95.634. The Fox ran 8.842 @ 78.567, 1.820.

Video #4, Time 11:06 am, DA = 2,677 ft:
Donna’s next run was more in line with the rest of the weekend. She was paired up with a 1970 Chevelle. The blue Mustang ran 7.283 @ 96.176, 1.695 to the Chevy’s 8.389 @ 81.780, 1.877.

Video #5, Time 11:26 am, DA = 2,731 ft:
A 1964 Ford Falcon was the next car to run against me, but I was overmatched. My 7.303 @ 95.616, 1.695 was no problem for the Falcon’s 6.487 @ 111.275, 1.321.

Video #6, Time 11:46 am, DA = 2,749 ft:
There was time for one more run before the lunch break and Donna got a solo out of it. She ran 7.264 @ 95.993, 1.677.

**Video #7, Time 12:52 pm, DA = 3,030 ft:
This was Round #1 of the Summit race. I was lined up against a Nova and it was basically a heads up race. My dial in was 7.30 and his was 7.31. I was comfortable with the 7.30 because the previous three runs had been 7.28, 7.30 and 7.26. As it turned out, I won the round on a double red light (his -0.068 was worse than my -0.029). But, I got an even bigger break… the car bogged worse than ever before on the launch, running only 1.905 in the 60-foot. You can visually see the nose of the car stay down for the first 8 or 10 feet off the line. My 7.498 @ 95.882 was the slowest of the weekend. The Nova went 7.377 @ 85.566, 1.522.

**Video #8, Time 1:30 pm, DA = 3,028 ft:
This was Round #2 of the Summit race, and was even more frustrating to me as a driver than my 0.004 second breakout on Saturday. I was paired up with a 6-sec Nova, who was dialed in at 6.49. I kept my dial at 7.30… which turned out to be the right call. The car ran right on the dial with a 7.300 ET! But, the driver messed up and left early, triggering the red light. D’Oh!!! So, a perfect “dead on with a zero” run was totally wasted because of a starting line foul by yours truly. The final numbers were 7.300 @ 95.024, 1.679 to the Nova’s winning 6.533 @ 103.804, 1.414. He also cut a killer 0.011 light, too.

**Video #9, Time 1:47 pm, DA = 2,949 ft:
Donna got back in the car for this run against a Vega. He must have trouble, because the Vega will run low 6’s, but all he could run here was 8.8. Donna missed a perfect reaction time by a mere 0.006 seconds, and then clocked a 7.332 @ 95.610, 1.698. The Vega’s numbers were 8.867 @ 61.376, 2.467.
Video #10, Time 1:51 pm, DA = 3,014 ft:
Donna was up against yet another Nova on this run, who also had problems and aborted. After a 0.063 RT, the tires spun a little in 1st gear, slowing the run down. She went 7.397 @ 95.496, 1.702. The Nova’s numbers were 11.056 @ 58.293, 2.676.

**Video #11, Time 2:15 pm, DA = 3,123 ft:
This track allows cars and motorcycles to race each other. On this run, I was up against a Hayabusa bike. Those things are fast… but not fast enough on this run. I cut my best reaction time of the weekend… a near perfect 0.002! And then I outran the Hayabusa also. The timeslip showed my 7.242 @ 95.774, 1.655 beating his 7.299 @ 104.798, 2.030.

**Video #12, Time 2:47 pm, DA = 3,074 ft:
This run was against a pretty quick Camaro. I ran 7.233 @ 95.563, 1.637 to his 6.726 @ 103.249, 1.553.

**Video #13, Time 3:02 pm, DA = 3,035 ft:
This time it was Donna against the Hayabusa. Donna went out and laid down an awesome run (especially with a DA over 3,000 feet), with a good 0.064 RT. She ran a 7.173 @ 96.173, 1.620. But, he was better on the tree (0.013) and ran quicker, beating her by 0.183 sec. The bike ran 7.041 @ 106.015, 1.864. This one was fun to watch.

Video #14, Time 3:35 pm, DA = 2,951 ft:
There weren’t too many cars left by now, so Donna ended up racing the bike… again. He left early and went red, and Donna was tardy. But, she ran a solid 7.218 @ 96.383, 1.617 to his 7.086 @ 105.199, 1.890.

**Video #15, Time 3:42 pm, DA = 2,996 ft:
On this run, I was racing a… well, I’m not sure. A Buick? Olds? Whatever. Anyway, this turned out to be my 2nd best run of the weekend, running a 7.221 @ 95.845, 1.625. The opponent ran 8.601 @ 79.491, 1.913.

Video #16, Time 3:46 pm, DA = 2,929 ft:
I hotlapped it back around and ran against the same car. I just missed a perfect light, going red by 0.004. Hotlapping usually takes a toll on performance and this was no exception. I slowed to a 7.321 @ 94.997, 1.669. He ran 8.951 @ 77.484, 2.042.

**Video #17, Time 3:59 pm, DA = 2,929 ft:
OK, this one was bizarre and takes a little explanation. I couldn’t see it from where I was standing, but Donna and I figured it out later. First, she rolled through both stage beams. So she was asking the starter what to do (back up and restage, or just stay there?). He gestured to her to just stay there, but when the tree came down, her amber lights never flashed. The Jeep in the other lane left, and she was confused. The starter just motioned for her to go. Since her front tires were already out of the beams, the rear tires tripped the starting beam. The timeslip shows a 60’ time of 1.136. haha. And when the scoreboard flashed 6.74… well, I knew it was wrong. My reaction is humorous… “That ain’t right!” And the funniest part was, even after waiting that long to leave the line, she still caught and passed him before the stripe! For the record, the Jeep ran 10.370 @ 65.956, 2.318.

Video #18, Time 4:06 pm, DA = 2,937 ft:
This time, Donna staged correctly against the Jeep. She ran 7.278 @ 94.516, 1.626 to his 10.289 @ 65.916, 2.339.

**Video #19, Time 4:16 pm, DA = 2,909 ft:
The last run of the weekend was a solo pass for Donna. And she finished off in style. After cutting a 0.083 light, she tripped the beams in 7.247 sec @ 96.079mph, 1.633.

[chevykiller]

Good times...good times. As always - awesome vids Don and I get to live vicariously through you...

Gotta love the cali weather in March...lol

I noticed the decal on the front window but couldn't make it out - old eyes...lol

What does it say? (stang - something...?)

Got any front pics?

Mark

[thump_rrr]

Hey Don,
All I can do is watch your vids and dream of our track opening since there is still snow on the ground.

Do you use some kind of spreadsheet to track your progress?
Would you mind sharing?
I find your RPM vs Speed spreadsheet very useful.
Thanks,

Peter

[don_w]

Originally Posted by chevykiller

Good times...good times. As always - awesome vids Don and I get to live vicariously through you...

Gotta love the cali weather in March...lol

I noticed the decal on the front window but couldn't make it out - old eyes...lol

What does it say? (stang - something...?)

Got any front pics?

Mark

Thanks Mark.

The decal says Stangpede. As of about a month ago, I'm the captain of the Stangpede Racing Team. Ed is the co-captain. Attached is a pic Ed took last Saturday at Barona during the burnout for Round #1 of the Summit Series race.

Originally Posted by thump_rrr

Hey Don,
All I can do is watch your vids and dream of our track opening since there is still snow on the ground.

Do you use some kind of spreadsheet to track your progress?
Would you mind sharing?
I find your RPM vs Speed spreadsheet very useful.
Thanks,

Peter

Once your track opens, you'll be getting a sheetload of runs in... and you better get some vids this year!!

And yes, I do have a spreadsheet, but mainly I just record all the incremental times for each run, and a few notes as needed. Recently, I've been adding in weather data as well. It's not very thorough, but I can analyze it to some degree. Drop me a PM with your e-mail addy, and I'll send it to you.





.

[chevykiller]

Cool beans!!!

Any other members yet?

[don_w]

Originally Posted by chevykiller

Cool beans!!!

Any other members yet?

Once someone joins the Stangpede Club, then they can qualify for the Race Team. There are certain performance requirements which must be met before they can be an “official” member of the Drag Racing team:

(1) A minimum of 25 1/8-mile or 1/4-mile runs must be made;
(2) Their car must run at least 8.99 (or better) in the 1/8-mile, or 13.99 (or better) in the 1/4-mile; and
(3) They must have at least three reaction times (RT) of 0.050 seconds or better (or 0.550 on a 0.500 tree).

Once they have met all three of these criteria, they become an official member of the Drag Racing team. These are very achievable for most Mustangs with mild bolt ons.

We just started this, so Ed and I are the only ones so far. One other guy was out at Barona last week with his Cobra, and he has the ET and 2 of the 3 RTs needed. He'll probably get the final RT and the rest of his 25 runs this weekend (tonight/tomorrow).

[thump_rrr]

Originally Posted by don_w

Once your track opens, you'll be getting a sheetload of runs in... and you better get some vids this year!!

.

I dunno about the vids.
Last time I went out on a date with this girl I got slapped when I asked her if she was good with a video camera.

[MickMach]

nice videos Don.....hey in vid 6 on Donnas solo run I see she leaves with both hands on the wheel. you just let the car shift auto? I ran some of my best times that way...do you run it in auto or you shift it? you run a shift light?

[MickMach]

also is that still the 26" tire on the back? looks to be good size.

[Mister Roper]

Originally Posted by don_w

(1) A minimum of 25 1/8-mile or 1/4-mile runs must be made;
(2) Their car must run at least 8.99 (or better) in the 1/8-mile, or 13.99 (or better) in the 1/4-mile; and
(3) They must have at least three reaction times (RT) of 0.050 seconds or better (or 0.550 on a 0.500 tree).

I wanna join your gang but I still need 11 more runs and 2 more sub 0.050 R/Ts.

Hehe, shouldn't each 1/4 mile run count as two 1/8ths?